Russian

Why Study Russian?

*** Please note: as of fall 2014, there are no classes in Russian offered*** If this status changes in future semesters, it will be posted here

Russia's role in the world is as crucial today as it has been in the past. It is the country that launched the world's first male and female cosmonauts, Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova in to space. Russia controls the largest land mass on Earth with its vast natural and human resources. It is an industrialized and scientifically advanced country and holds a strong political, military and economic power in the world.

The Russian language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is the official language of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The Russian language is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia and the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages. Russian is the language of business and international communication among the peoples of the former USSR (Commonwealth of Independent States) and it is widely used as means to store world information, an overwhelming majority of which is published in English and Russian languages.

Students of Russian studies have the distinct advantage of approaching Russian science, literature, art, music, and film in their social, historical, and linguistic context. Through their knowledge of Russian they can embrace the works of the world’s famous writers such as Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, Nabokov, and Bulgakov, poets such as Lermontov, Pushkin, Pasternak, Tsvetaeva, and Akhmatova, composers such as Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff, and scientists such as Lomonosov, Mendeleev, Tsiolkovsky, Korolyov, and Saharov.

Students find that learning the Russian language and getting to know Russian culture greatly expand their opportunities for work, education, business, and travel.

Russia is the country with fascinating history and great cultural heritage. It has been experiencing a tremendous political and cultural change, particularly in the recent past, and our program is designed to study these broader processes of the past and present, as well as the particular texts and contexts of the Russian world through our introductory and intermediate courses in Russian.

Russian courses offered by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures along with the study of the language give students a solid background in Russian studies. Students become familiar with the Russian language, culture, history, society and the life experiences of Russians.

Students have the opportunity to be involved in the Russian Club and Russian Table activities that promote Russian culture and language education in the US.

We invite you to explore our Russian program by visiting our department website or coming to see us on the second floor of the Humanities building at Creighton University. Please contact Dr. Munavvar Dadajanova for more information about the Russian program.